SOME LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT A LEGISLATIVE MOVE TO CHANGE IOWA GUN LAWS. UNDER THE BILL WHICH CLEARED THE IOWA HOUSE AND SENATE, STATE PERMITS AND BACKGROUND CHECKS WOULD BE DROPPED. DUBUQUE COUNTY SHERIFF JOE KENNEDY SPOKE TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 AND SAYS GUN SELLERS WILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE HANDS OF OFFICIALS. KENNEDY TOLD TV-9 THAT HIS DEPARTMENT ROUTINELY CONSULTS LEGAL EXPERTS WHEN REVIEWING THE PARTICULARS OF GUN PERMIT APPLICATIONS. IOWA’S NEW LAW WOULD HAVE NO IMPACT ON FEDERAL BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS.
MORE DETAILS ARE OUT ABOUT AN EXPLOSION AT A MEAT PACKING PLANT IN POSTVILLE LAST MONTH. THE ACCIDENT INJURED TWO WORKERS AND STARTED WHEN A HOSE CONNECTED TO A LARGE PROPANE TANK WAS PUNCTURED AND THE GAS COMBUSTED. IN ADDITION TO THE INJURIES, THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE LOADING AREA NEAR THE LOCATION OF THE EXPLOSION. IOWA’S OSHA DEPARTMENT IS CONDUCTING A DETAILED INVESTIGATION. IT’S FINDINGS ARE EXPECTED SOMETIME IN THE LATE SPRING OR SUMMER.
DETAILS ARE COMING OUT ABOUT A WATER RESCUE LATE LAST WEEK. THE IOWA DNR SAYS A MARION 17-YEAR-OLD IN A KAYAK WAS PULLED FROM FRIGID WATER AT LAKE DARLING IN WASHINGTON COUNTY FRIDAY. STATE PARK RANGER ZACH HAWORTH WAS ABLE TO GET A LINE TO THE KAYAK WHICH WAS TAKING ON WATER DUE TO A CRACK IN THE HULL. THE TEEN BOY WAS TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA IN IOWA CITY AFTER BEING IN THE WATER FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES.
TIFFANY O’DONNELL IS ONE OF SEVERAL CANDIDATES PLANNING TO CHALLENGE CEDAR RAPIDS’ INCUMBENT MAYOR BRAD HART DURING NOVEMBER MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. THE FORMER TELEVISION ANCHOR AND CEO OF WOMEN LEAD CHANGE ANNOUNCED HER CANDIDACY TUESDAY. THIS MORNING, O’DONNELL WAS A GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. CURRENT MAYOR BRAD HART WAS ELECTED IN 2017. TWO ENTREPRENEURS – AMARA ANDREWS AND JAKE BRUMMER – ARE ALSO CURRENT OR ANTICIPATED CANDIDATES FOR CEDAR RAPIDS’ TOP ELECTED OFFICE. HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH TIFFANY O’DONNELL AT KXEL.COM.
NEED A REMINDER ABOUT THOSE GIFT CARDS YOU MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED BACK AT CHRISTMAS? STATE TREASURER MICHAEL FITZGERALD IS PROVIDING ONE. FITZGERALD’S OFFICE SAYS THAT APPROXIMATELY THREE PERCENT OF GIFT CARD BALANCES ARE NEVER USED. SOME GIFT CARDS HAVE FEES WHICH SAP THE VALUE OF THE CARD OVER TIME. FITZGERALD SAYS THE BEST PLAN IS TO USE GIFT CARDS QUICKLY, WHICH ALSO PREVENTS THEM FROM BEING LOST OR STOLEN.
THE IOWA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM TRIES TO GET TO THE SWEET 16 TONIGHT. THE 17-10 CYCLONES TAKE ON THE SEC-CHAMPION TEXAS A&M AGGIES DURING A SECOND ROUND PAIRING IN SAN ANTONIO. TONIGHT’S GAME BEGINS AT 6 P.M. [ALSO IN SPORTS, THE GAME TIME FOR SATURDAY’S UNI FOOTBALL GAME HAS BEEN MOVED UP TO 11. KXEL’S COVERAGE OF UNI AT WESTERN ILLINOIS BEGINS AT 10 A.M. ON SATURDAY MORNING.].
OFFICIALS IN ANAMOSA WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 3 O’CLOCK WITH AN UPDATE ON THE DEATHS OF TWO PRISON WORKERS THERE YESTERDAY. A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER AND A NURSE WERE KILLED IN AN ATTACK BY AN INMATE. OFFICIALS WITH AFSCME COUNCIL 61 SAID IN A STATEMENT RELEASED YESTERDAY THAT THE UNION WHICH REPRESENTS MANY PUBLIC WORKERS WILL HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT PROTECTING PRISON EMPLOYEES AS MORE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT ARE RELEASED. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 REPORT THAT THERE WERE 13 ASSAULTS ON IOWA PRISON STAFF LAST YEAR, AND THAT STAFFING LEVELS ARE DOWN 40 PERCENT SINCE 2009. TUESDAY’S INCIDENT WAS THE FIRST FATAL ASSAULT ON AN IOWA PRISON WORKER SINCE 1972.
CEDAR RAPIDS MAYORAL CANDIDATE TIFFANY O’DONNELL SAYS THE COMMUNITY IS RECOVERING FROM YEARS OF CHALLENGES, SOME RECENT AND SOME LONG-TERM. O’DONNELL WAS A GUEST THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. O’DONNELL ANNOUNCED HER CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR ON TUESDAY. SHE IS A FORMER TELEVISION NEWS ANCHOR AND HAS SPENT THE PAST SIX YEARS WITH THE ADVOCACY GROUP WOMEN LEAD CHANGE, CURRENTLY SERVING AS CEO.
COOL, WET CONDITIONS REALLY AREN’T RIGHT FOR OUTDOOR SWIMMING, BUT CEDAR RAPIDS IS LOOKING AHEAD TO WARMER DAYS. TUESDAY THE CITY RELEASED IT’S SUMMER SWIMMING POOL PLAN FOR THIS SUMMER. THE FIRST POOLS WILL OPEN MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED WHEN NOT IN THE WATER. CHAIRS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE, BUT POOL-GOERS CAN BRING THEIR OWN. POLICIES MAY CHANGE AS THE COVID SITUATION EVOLVES.
